St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-01-01
CHORUS GIRLS.
A Chat About Merry Girls Who Stand
Before the Footlights
For Couple of Hours and Then Dis
appear From Public View.
What They Say and Do, and What
Their Ambitions Are,

v
What They Say and Do, and What
Their Ambitions Are.
There is no feature of an operate per-
Torrance which requires more labor, and
which is more essential to good pro-
duction of the piece than the part per-
formed by the chorus people. And yet the
public knows less about them than any
other class of theatrical performers. They
appear on the stage in bulk, they sing in
chorus, they move about with the precision
of mechanical action, and then go off with
out even so much as a public recog-
milton. The leading artists re-
ceve applause and encores and
flowers. The newspapers talk about them
and their names are in the mouth of the
whole theater- going public. And yet no
word of comment. either good or bad, is
spoken of the hardwOrked chorus singers.
When they pass off the stage at the drop of
the curtain they pass out OF existence so
far as their professional life is concerned.
Their professional light is hid under a
bushel. so to speak. And yet there is many
an inglorouS Jenny Lind among the girls
who wear the short pettlcoatS and dress in
tights at the opera performance. ~ on
seem TO be merry creatures if you do work
hard" was the remark made by GLOBE
repOrter-who had been admitted behind
the scenes at the Grand the other evening
during an ''Erminle' performance-as the
girls came dashing from in front of the
footllghtS through the side scene entrance,
all in a huddle and
ALL TITTERING
over some comical episode that had just &C.
Cured. Yes we are merry set OF peo-
pie" remarked Miss Barton. If mrth-
fulnesS is not Unborn, we are educated to it
in our profession. We have to assume a
cheerful role SO constantly that cheerfulneSS
becomes a part of our nature" DO you
ever grow tired of being chorus snger?"
The dark eyes of the little songstress
sparkled with mischiev0uS CLEAN as she
| replied: Il am not old enough to pro-
| nounce Judgment on that point. Ask some
of our veterans about it," \ veteran was
sought and found in the person of Mr.
| Pyke. sometimes our people think they
are tired out with the work; but they are
mistaken. 1t is seldom they quit the pro-
fession, and if they do they almost invaria
bly, come back to it. There is
peculiar fascination about the chorus
part, especially for girls. L have known
instances where girls were promoted from
| the chorus to leading parts and voluntarily
came back to US. They preferred the part
| OF a chorus girl to .hat of star in the COM
| pany." This statement was confirmed by
Misses Paige and Johnston, who had been
| in chorus service longer than any of the
| Ermnie company. The truth is" said
Miss Johnston, the training and exper-
| fence OF chorus girl absolutely units her
| for everything else She soon becomes
BohemianZed. Then there is an excite
ment in the life that attracts young people
and they love it on that account" And
more than that" added Miss Paige, 'there
| is the star of ambition which rises in every
girls heart that leads her on in the hope OF
future fame. There isn't girl in the cho-
rus here tonight but expects sooner or later
| to rise
| To SOMETHING HIGHER.
Nearly every one of us is an understudy
| for some one of the principals, and if you
| only knew how proud we are when we gel
a chance to take the principals part and
| win applause from an audience, you will
| understand why it is we are stimulated to
continue i'll our subordinate places" lit is
not only fame that we look forward to, but
| the prospect of bigger salary ahead has
ITS stimulating effects Also" chirped i'll Miss
Melville, another roSy-cheeked and bright
eyed little chorister What salary dc
chorus girls usually get?" That depends
upon the company we work for" replied
Miss Johnston. Mr.. Aronson and MIR.
Duff pay the best salaries of any of the
| opera managers i'll this country.
They give us SIS a week. Mr..
McCaull pays SIS, and other companies
from that amount down to SO and IS q
week. Out of that we pay our own board
bills" Your opportunities are not great
for boarding money!" ''Oh, no. We are
| like newspaper men in that particular, we
| generally live up TO our means. In travel
ing about as much as we do. the temptation
to spend our money is greater than If we
remained in one place all the time. We
| are always seeing some new thing to attract
our fancy, and you know woman cam
keep money as long as there is some novelty
in sight tor which she can spend it,"
Mrs. Knight, the superintendent Of the
wardrobe department, explained her system
of taking care of the costumes. The choru!
people are required to be in their dressing
rooms promptly at twenty minutes before q
performance. Mr.. G. B. Dinfee, the mas
ter machinist and assistant stage manager
has
A CHECK BOARD
hung up at the door of the side entrance tt
the theater. As each girl comes in sht
walks up to the board and checks he
name Off. If at twenty minutes before the
hour for the performance any name. remain
unchecked the parties are fined 81 for theil
hardness, the sum being withheld from the
salary at the end of the woek. This in
sureS promptneSS. The girls go at once Il
their dressing-rOOmS, where they find Mrs
Knight, who gives to each one her costume
for the evening. At the end of the per
Torrance the costumes are returned to he
and properly laid away, and at the close o
the weeks engagement she superntend
the packing of the costumes preparatory tt
being shipped to the next show town
while the post is responsible one, sale
Mrs. Knight Il have comparatively little
trouble, and rarely. if ever. lose any of tn.
costumes. L have perfect system ant
keep my girls under good discipline. No
l don't scold much. l leave that to Dot
my little assistant" You bet l whacl
it into them when they bring their clothe
to me to be mended or leave their dresse
lying around in the dressing rooms,
spoke up Dot Kingsley, the little assistan
referred to. DOT Dimple' they cal
her because of a rougish little dmple which
plays hide and seek across her right cheek
Dots only complaint against the choru
management is that she has to stand on TIN
stage with her left cheek to the audience
so that she can't show her dimpe. Dot i
the pet of the chorus as we'll as of thu